Candles of varying composition, sizes, and types are well known in the art. Throughout recorded history, candles have commonly been used as sources of illumination. The candle probably first evolved from wood, rushes, or cords dipped in fat or pitch. Candles competed with the lamp in Roman times and were more commonly used in Western Civilizations during the Middle Ages. Candles made from tallow, beeswax, and vegetable wax, such as bayberry in the American Colonies, were commonly used through the late 18.sup.th century. By the mid-19.sup.th century, candles made from stearine and/or paraffin, were most commonly used. The plaited wick gradually replaced wicks of twisted strands by the mid-19.sup.th century.
In the past, candles were commonly made by repeated dipping in melted tallow, by pouring tallow or wax into molds, or by pouring beeswax over the wicks. Today, modern candles are machine-made by a molding process. Although traditional candles may be molded in a variety of shapes and sizes, they all burn in essentially the same way. Generally, a candle includes a cloth or fiber wick in the candle body that runs from the bottom to the top of the candle and extends a short distance above the top surface of the candle. This protruding portion of the wick carries the flame. While burning, radiant energy melts a small layer of the candle wax on the top surface of the candle. This melted wax is drawn up the wick by capillary action where it fuels the flame. As this combustion process continues, the flame moves down the candle as the wax melts. The excess wick burns up as the flame moves down until finally, if left unattended, essentially the entire candle would be consumed. Traditional candles tend to be relatively long or tall with a relatively small diameter. If the diameter of a traditional candle is too large, the flame is more susceptible to being extinguished in the resultant larger pool of melted wax, or the flame becomes buried in a deep well in the candle.
Because traditional candles are entirely consumed when burned, there is no uniformity or consistency of their size and shape throughout the burning process. In addition, candles, due to their limited flame size, do not generally produce a relatively large amount of illumination as compared with alternative light sources.